LG has officially announced its TV roll-call for 2019, after teasing its upcoming OLED and NanoCell LED LCDs at CES, promising a big smart platform upgrade plus AI AV processing.

The company has bullish predictions for OLED, saying it expects OLED models to make up 20 per cent of the company’s high-end TV portfolio this year. It’s predicting that demand will grow to 3.6 million units this year, 7 million units in 2020 and 10 million in 2021.

Incoming is the W9 (model 77/65W9), E9 (model 65/55E9), C9 (model 77/65/55C9) and B9 (model 65/55B9). These will be joined by the first 8K OLED TV, the 88Z9. LG says it is on course to introduce its Signature TV R rollable model, the 65R9. The first 2019 OLEDs will ship into South Korea and the US this month, with Asia, Europe and South America to follow soon thereafter.

Key attraction this time around is the introduction of the company’s second generation Alpha 9 intelligent processor, coupled with deep learning technology.

The α9 Gen 2 processor will feature in LG’s W, E and C series of OLED TVs. The AI image processor uses an extensive database of visual information to recognise source quality and implement the appropriate algorithm. The processor also analyses ambient conditions to achieve the optimal level of screen brightness.

The α9 Gen 2 will also adjust audio according to content type, supposedly to make movie and TV dialogue easier to understand (thankfully, there will also be manual control of this available).

Later this year, there’s a firmware update due which will grant Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit compatibility, and the addition of Amazon Alexa support. The screens already include Google Assistant out of the box.

Now rebranded NanoCell, the company’s top end LED TV line will expand the number of large screen models. There will be fourteen AI-enabled models, available in sizes varying from 49 to 86 inches: the 75SM99, 65/55SM98, 86/75/65/55/49SM90, 75/65/55/49SM86, 65/55/49SM85 and 65/55/49SM82.

Select 2019 OLED and NanoCell models support HDMI 2.1 for high frame rate 4k content at 120 frames per second, with automatic with automatic low latency mode (ALLM), variable refresh rate (VRR) and enhanced audio return channel (eARC). HDR support will continue to include Dolby Vision, however there is no talk of HDR10+ support.

HDR support will continue to include Dolby Vision, however there is no talk of HDR10+ support. Dolby Atmos support is standard.

“LG continues to push the boundaries of TV technological innovation, as can clearly be seen from our premium TV lineup for 2019,” said Brian Kwon, president of Mobile Communications and Home Entertainment companies. “LG’s advanced AI technologies to improve picture and sound enrich and expand the viewing experience.”